


The Gilded Cage

by ThemFeelsTho



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F!Reader - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Mentions of alcohol, Mutual Pining, Reader uses female pronouns, Slow Dancing, based on an in game mission, perhaps, was I too lazy to come up with a different title?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:13:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26199874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThemFeelsTho/pseuds/ThemFeelsTho
Summary: Dutch enlists you to attend the Mayor's party with him, Hosea, Arthur, and Bill. It's the perfect time to confess your feelings for Bill- if you ever manage to work up the nerve.Based on the mission "The Gilded Cage."
Relationships: Bill Williamson/Reader
Kudos: 21





	The Gilded Cage

“I don’t know what Dutch is trying to do to me.”

Mary-Beth chuckled, tightening the sash around your waist as you held your arms up and out of the way. “I don’t know what Dutch is trying to do to Bill! Wait till he sees you in this dress.”

You felt your face heat up. “Oh hush. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you he‘s not sweet on me.”

Mary-Beth rolled her eyes. “I honestly don’t know how you’re missing it. He ain’t exactly subtle.”

You turned away from her to hide your blush. You and Bill were friends sure, but his feelings for you didn’t go any farther than that. Right?

Mary-Beth grinned at your expression. “You ain’t either, you know. It’s obvious you like him too.”

You hit her shoulder playfully. “And what if I do?” Your smile faded after a moment. “He doesn’t see me like that, so it doesn’t matter.”

Mary-Beth made a noise of disbelief. “Fine. Whatever you say. But mark my words, you two are going to end up together.” You watched as her eyes suddenly lit up. “In fact,” she said, opening up her small jewelry box to retrieve a pair of pearl drop earrings. “Wear these. For luck.”

You gasped. “Mary-Beth, I couldn’t, those are your favorite-“

“Which is exactly why you’re going to wear them. So you’ll know I’m thinking of you. And maybe they’ll give you some courage to act on those feelings of yours.” She wiggled her eyebrows, smirking.

You laughed. “Shut up.”

She grinned back, helping you put on the earrings. You opened your mouth to thank her again, but were interrupted by Dutch calling your name from outside the tent. “It’s time to get going,” he called impatiently. “We can’t show up too late.”

You sighed heavily. “Alright Dutch, I’m almost ready. Just give me a moment.” You took one last look at the mirror to straighten your hair and brush off your dress.

“Good luck,” Mary-Beth whispered, squeezing your hand before letting you step out of the tent. 

You caught sight of Dutch standing beside Hosea at the edge of camp, motioning you over. Arthur, and Bill stood near them, their backs to you. As you approached, Hosea looked up and caught your eye. “Ah good, you’re here. Lenny will come with the carriage soon and then we’ll set off.”

“Sure thing, Hosea.”

At the sound of your voice, the other two men turned towards you.

Arthur whistled, grinning as he looked you up and down. “Damn! You clean up pretty nice don’tcha?”

You fixed him with an unimpressed look, your cheeks hot. “Don’t start, Arthur.”

“No really, I mean it! C’mon, don’t she look pretty, Bill?” He elbowed the other man.

Bill tensed. “Uh- yeah. Real pretty.”

You felt your lips quirk up into a smile. “Thanks.”

You looked up at the sound of the carriage pulling up. Lenny sat in the driver’s seat, grinning down at you all.

“Y’all ready for a party?”

Dutch laughed. “About as ready as we’ll ever be, my boy. Let’s get going.”

***

You pulled up in front of the mansion a short while later, eager to escape the confines of the carriage. Bill and Hosea got out, followed by Arthur and Dutch, then finally you. As you emerged, Bill offered his hand to help you down. You felt your face warm as you placed your smaller hand in his larger one, warm and calloused from years of living rough. You squeezed it gently as he helped you out. You held on for a few more seconds than was necessary, your fingers brushing against his own when you finally let go.

The mansion in front of you was large and grand looking. People in expensive clothes filtered in and out of the entrance, chatting and laughing and drinking alcohol that probably cost more than you could steal in a month. It all looked a bit intimidating, and you found yourself glad that you weren’t alone.

You were met at the door by a well dressed man who offered to take your weapons and lead you to Mr. Bronte. Dutch went on ahead with Arthur, telling you, Bill, and Hosea to wait for them before joining the party. They met you on the terrace a few minutes later.

“Alright,” Dutch began. “Let’s go ingratiate ourselves. Go find the mayor if you can, and stay outta trouble. And steal nothing… unless it’s information.”

“Of course.”

“Hosea, you go find us some place to rob. Bill, you and the lady go make us some new friends.”

You descended the stairs with the others, looking around for someone that looked open to conversation. Your eyes settled on a woman with a massive hat, looking around the party like she was waiting for someone to take notice of her. Well, at least you had a conversation starter. You walked over to her, making a significant effort not to laugh.

“That is…. A very unique hat, ma’m.”

The woman lit up, focusing her gaze on you.

“Oh, do you really think so? I just thought it looked so wonderful with this dress, I could hardly resist-”

It took all of two minutes to realize that this woman didn’t have any information that you could use, but now you were trapped in the conversation without a visible exit. You snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, downing it a bit more quickly than you probably should have.

As the woman droned on, you let yourself listen to the noise of the party around you. A little ways over, you could hear Bill begin a conversation with two men, introducing himself as Albert Danielson. They talked for a few moments as you continued to eavesdrop.

“What do you do now?” one of them asked.

“Well, uh, I-I’m not quite, uh... I’m an American.”

_ Oh god. _

As much as you loved him, acting had never been Bill’s strong point. He was usually the muscle on missions and it was easy to tell that he was struggling to adapt to this new role. Oh well. That’s what you were here for. You placed your glass on a table near you and cleared your throat, interrupting the woman, who was still going on about that god-awful hat.

“Will you excuse me for a moment?” You smiled as politely as you could manage. “I need to go talk to someone.” You turned on your heel without waiting for an answer, walking quickly over to where the three men were talking to stand next to Bill, who was still stumbling over the question.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” You pointed the question towards the group, but your gaze was focused intently on Bill, offering him your help.

His eyes widened as he grasped at the lifeline you gave him. “I, uh, yes. Gentlemen, this is my- um, my wife.”

You felt yourself flush at his words, but you did your best to take it in stride, nodding and offering your hand to the two men in front of you. “Elizabeth Danielson. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Hector Fellows, Mrs. Danielson. The pleasure is all mine.” He shook your hand. “Now, Mr. Danielson. What was it exactly you said your business was?”

You looped your arm around Bill’s before he had a chance to panic. “Investments,” you answered simply, a smile on your face. That was usually vague and important sounding enough to satisfy people, and you could tell Mr. Fellows and his companion were no different as they nodded in understanding.

You cocked your head slightly. “And you, Mr. Fellows?”

He smiled pridefully, puffing out his chest. “I own a newspaper, my dear. A rather successful one if I do say so myself.” He cast a disparaging glance at his companion. “Now if only it could be as truthful.”

The other man rolled his eyes. “What is it you would like me to do, sir?” he said sarcastically. “Punch the mayor myself?”

Fellows scowled. “I’d thank you to sharpen up your morality.”

You cut in before they could take their argument any further. “Oh, isn’t that interesting, Al?” You exclaimed, looking at Bill. “Weren’t you just talking about the mayor?”

Bill nodded, following your lead. “I was sayin’ that he doesn’t seem the trustworthy sort.”

Fellows scoffed, casting a withering glare towards the man in question, who was talking to some guests on the other side of the party. “I’m afraid that is an understatement. The man is crooked. It is my belief that he has had dealings with-” he lowered his voice dramatically. “The Italian mafia.”

You gasped, trying for the life of you to feign shock without bursting into laughter.

Fellows shook his head. “Terrible, I know. To think that the mayor of our great city would associate himself with such egregious wrongdoing! It makes me sick.”

You leaned in closer. “However did you figure it out?”

He reddened. “Well, to be entirely honest with you, I have no proof yet. If I could only get at the man’s study, just for five minutes, I’m sure I could find something to incriminate him!”

“You know where it is?” Bill spoke up, catching on to what you were trying to do.

“On the second floor, I believe. Of course, there are staff all throughout the house. I could never make it there unseen.” He sighed. “I suppose I will simply have to obtain my proof some other way.”

You placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “I have no doubt you will. Now, if you’ll excuse us Mr. Fellows, I’m afraid I’ve just seen a friend of ours. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

He inclined his head to you both. “Likewise, ma’am.”

You led Bill away by the arm, trying to contain your excitement. “Nice job back there, Mr. Danielson,” you teased. Bill turned red, scratching the back of his neck.

You grinned. “Y’know, if you wanted to play man and wife, you could’ve just said something before.”

“Shuddup.” He dipped his head to hide his red face, but he couldn't hide the smile that was forming.

“Come on. Let’s go see if we can find anything in that study.”

***

The study wasn’t particularly hard to find- just around the corner of the staircase landing. Hector Fellows had been right however, and you found yourself constantly ducking behind corners to avoid the house staff, pulling Bill behind you. When you reached the door, you slipped inside, leaving Bill on watch. There was nothing of particular interest on the top of the desk, but you noticed one of the drawers was locked. You spotted a letter opener and grabbed it, pushing the point into the gap. After a few seconds of fiddling, you pulled the drawer and grinned as it slid smoothly open.

There were a few different papers inside, but only one that caught your interest.

“Mr. Leviticus Cornwall. Top secret, extremely confidential,” you muttered to yourself. “Interesting.”

You searched for somewhere to hide the document before realizing that you didn’t have any pockets. God you missed your pants. Rolling your eyes, you folded the papers and shoved them down the front of your dress, hoping that they were hidden well enough. Slipping out of the study, you returned to Bill.

“You find anything?”

“Mhm. Something about Cornwall. Dutch’ll be happy.”

“Good. We should get out of here.”

“Yeah.” You stepped forward, slipping your hand into his.

He stuttered, looking down at your joined hands. “What are you-”

“We’re married aren’t we?” you said as casually as you could. “Maybe it was just a spur of the moment idea, but it’s a good cover story. We should keep it up.”

He nodded, lacing his fingers with your own. “Sure thing, uh… sweetheart.”

You felt a flustered grin spread across your face at his acting attempt. “There you go! You’re getting the hang of this.”

You made your way quickly and quietly, going down the stairs and across the foyer. Once you reached the main floor however, you saw one of the maids crossing the hall ahead of you. You and Bill barely managed to duck into a room to avoid her, but to your horror, you heard two sets of footsteps approaching the door.

_ Oh fuck. _ There was no other way out of the room. You were cornered, moments away from being found in the mayor’s private rooms with his personal documents shoved down the front of your chemise.

The voices grew louder as the footsteps neared, and in your panic, you did the first thing that came to mind.

You kissed Bill. Hard. You grabbed the front of his suit jacket, pulling him towards you as you pressed yourself against his chest. For a moment, you thought you’d broken him. He stood stock still, stiff as a board, his eyes wide open. When you didn’t stop however, he started to kiss back. He was hesitant for only a moment before he grabbed your waist and spun you around, pressing you to the wall behind you. You moaned into his mouth at his sudden action, and for a moment you almost forgot where you were. That was when the door flew open.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” You pulled away from Bill slightly to see two men, servants in the house, probably. The one who had spoken had an amused look on his face.

Steeling your nerves, you forced a tipsy smile back. You giggled and clung to Bill, swaying slightly and trying your best to appear drunk.

“S-sorry. We were just looking for some place, umm…  _ quiet _ .” You giggled again, leaning against Bill, hoping to hide any sign of the documents shoved in your dress.

The other man looked at you with disdain clear on his face. “I’m afraid this area is off limits, ma’am.” He turned to Bill. “Please follow me. I will escort you back to the party.”

“Sure thing,” Bill said. “Sorry ‘bout all this.”

The man rolled his eyes and walked off, gesturing to you to follow him. You looped your arm through Bill’s and let him lead as you walked back out to the party.

“Please, try and stay within the confines of the courtyard. It would be most appreciated,” the man said dryly. He walked off toward the house, shaking his head.

You let out a breath as the man disappeared, realizing just how close you both had come to being caught. But you hadn’t. You had gotten Dutch’s information, and with time to spare. You smiled at Bill, who grinned back at you, happy with your teamwork.

“So,” he started. “This mean we’re good to go? This suit is uh… just a bit uncomfortable.” He tugged at his collar, making you laugh.

“Sorry, but I think we may have to stick around for a while. It’ll look too suspicious if we run out just a few minutes after being seen inside the mayor’s house.”

Bill nodded in understanding. “What do we do then?”

You hummed, looking around the party until your gaze landed on a few couples dancing near the side of the courtyard. “Well, Mr. Danielson… Could I tempt you into a dance?”

Bill shook his head, laughing. “I ain’t much of a dancer. But if my wife insists...”

This time you were the one flushing red as you took his hand and led him over to the dance floor. He put his hands around your waist as you laced your fingers together behind his neck.

“Alright. Now I’ll admit, I’m not much of a dancer either, but Hosea’s showed me a few steps around camp. You think you can follow my lead?”

He nodded, focusing on your movements as you counted steps. It took a few missteps and a few stepped on feet, but within a couple minutes, you two were dancing slowly to the music. When the song ended, Bill kept his hands on your hips, looking at you nervously.

“Look, I know I’m probably hopin’ against my better judgement, but I need to ask.”

Your brow furrowed. “Is something wrong?”

Bill took a breath. “That kiss. Did it... mean anything to ya? Or was it jus’ for cover?”

Your eyes widened. “Bill, I-” You stopped, your mind running a mile a minute. Now would be the perfect time to confess. He was asking you directly, for god’s sake! All you had to do was get up the courage and  _ tell him _ .

Bill seemed to take your silence as an answer. “Never mind,” he said, looking at the ground awkwardly. “I mean, I know I’ve been makin’ a fool of myself here all night. There’s no way in hell that you actually-”

You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his.

He didn’t hesitate this time, pulling you to him by your hips and kissing you deeply. You leaned in close, moving your hands up until they carded through his hair. He groaned at the feeling, his grip on you tightening. After a few moments, you separated to catch your breath.

Bill blinked a few times, a dazed look on his face. “Definitely felt like that meant somethin’.”

You laughed, still leaning against him. “It definitely did.”

A new song started and you both looked up, then back at each other.

You raised an eyebrow, smiling playfully. “One more dance, Mr. Williamson?”

He kept his arms around you, holding you close. “My pleasure.”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: @a-vast-african-plain


End file.
